Putting up shelves
by Bjarka99
Summary: Set in Season 10, sometime after the crossover. The Scoobies do research. Spike amuses himself.


DISCLAIMER: All Joss', Dark Horse's, whoever else applies. I just have fun.

Set in Season 10, in the comics- sometime after the current crossover is over, assuming Spuffy is still alive and in good health. Giles is still a kid.

* * *

The research party was in full swing that Thursday afternoon in Giles' apartment. 'Full swing' was, though, rather an exageration, Buffy thought. One could totally tell that only Willow and Giles were actively working. Dawn was subtly taking notes from a book with only the most marginal pertinence to the object of their research, and that was only because it had passages in Ancient Greek, and she happened to have a test on it coming up. Buffy could also tell by the way that Xander's eye was dancing over the pages that he wasn't paying attention either.

But at least they were pretending. Spike wasn't even doing _that_.

Not that he had ever been one for the research, but he did usually manage to go through a book or two. Now, he was just staring at her.

Buffy glared at him, and then looked pointedly at the book opened on his lap. He gave her one of his 'make me' smiles.

She tried to glare harder. Now he looked pointedly at the book on her lap, like saying 'you're not doing it, either'.

She sighed and tried to concentrate. She got through a whole sentence before she allowed herself to look at him again. Spike was still staring at her, with one of those nearly indecent looks of his.

Buffy glared again, pointed at her book and then at his, hoping it translated to 'see? I'm doing it. You do it, too'. For a second, he looked resigned and went back to the book, but not before Buffy saw him fiddle with something in his pocket.

She nearly jumped out of her seat. Dawn looked at her curiously, so she shifted around pretending she was just trying to get comfy.

'Was he the more... trascendental type?' Willow suddenly asked.

'Huh?' Buffy frowned, caught out.

'The demon' Willow said. 'Was he one of those that are into the whole universe and the big picture sort of thing, or the more mundane kind?'

Buffy just stared at her, and crossed her legs tightly.

'The Slayer didn't exactly sit down for a philosophical t te-a-t te, Red' Spike said.

'What are you thinking?' Giles asked.

'Well, I was thinking that maybe something more ritual-y would work better than a spell,' she answered. 'I mean, Buffy said he was wearing robes and necklaces with symbols, and generally those demons respond better to rituals and offerings than to blunt force. Did he say anything that sounded like he was more into the metaphysical sort of stuff?' Willow asked her, and Buffy felt all their gazes on her.

'He -uh- made a Matrix reference' she said in a kinda squeaky voice. She looked at Spike, pleadingly. He just grinned, clearly amused.

'So he was the more mundane kind, gotcha.'

'Well, it's a dated reference,' Xander said. 'Mundane, but a mite out of touch.'

'Regardless of our demon's questionable cinematic tastes, I think you might be onto something, Willow.' Giles launched into a long explanation about the sort of rituals they could do, but Buffy didn't hear a word. She concentrated all her efforts on a silent conversation with the vampire across the room. 'Not now,' she tried to convey. 'Stop it'.

He just grinned harder, and fiddled again with the thing in his pocket.

She couldn't help the whimper that escaped her throat.

'Buffy, are you ok?' Dawn asked, and everybody stared at her. She shifted in her seat again, folding her legs to a side.

'Fine, fine,' she said. 'I think I pulled a muscle in the fight, is all.'

'Aw, poor thing,' Willow said. 'You want some ointment? I have something you could rub on it.'

'I'm fine' Buffy mumbled, and exchanged a look with Spike. The way he moved his _eyebrows_ conveyed precisely that he had something he could rub on it, too.

Giles instructed a slight change in the direction of their research, and silence settled on the group again. This time, Buffy did her absolute best at keeping her eyes on the page. Maybe, if she didn't look at him, he might ease off.

She was wrong.

'Buffy, are you _sure_ you're ok?' Dawn insisted when her sister let escape another little whimper.

'Yes, I'm fine' she snapped, and only then realized that she'd been biting her lip so hard she'd probably left marks on it.

'Does anybody else hear a... buzzing sort of sound?' Xander asked, and Buffy thought she might just die.

'Drill, two floors up' Spike said non-chalantly, his eyes never leaving the book on his lap.

'Oh. Must be those two new guys,' Xander ventured. 'What do you think they're doing?'

'Putting up shelves?' Spike suggested. Buffy reached for a cushion and pressed it against her pelvis, slamming the book on top of it.

'I left them my card, if they needed any work done' Xander went on. Spike didn't answer. Buffy watched him, horrified, as his hand went back to his pocket.

'Oh, god' she exclaimed, and stood up at once, the cushion and the book falling to the floor with a loud thump. She jumped over Dawn's stretched legs and run to the door, slamming it behind her.

'What is _up_ with her?' Dawn asked as the group exchanged stunned looks.

'I'll go' Spike said cheerfully, standing up and walking out of the apartment.

'I bet this was a less than subtle attempt to bail on research and go have sex' Xander said when Spike closed the door behind him. 'I can't believe it worked.'

Giles groaned. 'We'll give them ten minutes, and then we'll all go and make them come back,' he said. 'It's just not fair.'

Spike didn't have to go far. Buffy was sitting in the hallway, halfway to her apartment, with her back against the wall and her head on her knees. He crouched in front of her.

'Did you cum?' he asked her, ridiculously pleased with himself.

Buffy raised her head to glare at him.

'What does it look like I'm doing?' she said in a low, shaky voice.

He chuckled, and his fingers went straight to her chest, where they took her nipples and gently tugged at them. She sighed her release with a soft moan, and then he kissed her softly.

'So, vibrating panties,' Spike said, removing the remote control from his pocket and handing it to her. 'Worth the money?'

'Mmmh, _yes_ ,' Buffy admitted, taking the control and turning the vibration off. 'They were supposed to be silent, though. Xander heard.'

'We were being too quiet, and it was on max' Spike said, and pouted when she held on to the control he was trying to take back from her.

'Nuh-uh,' Buffy said. 'You had your fun, already.'

'Did I?' he arched an eyebrow, and directed her hand to the hard-on in his pants.

If they'd been inside one of their apartments, it might have turned into a blowjob. They weren't, though.

'No more turning the panties on today' she said sternly. 'And no more turning the panties on during research!'

He pouted again.

'Behave' she said with a sigh. 'Let's get back in there, actually do some work, and I'll make it worth it tonight.'


End file.
